Southwestern Chicken Casserole

4.64 from 52 votes
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This Southwestern Chicken Casserole calls for simple, flavorful ingredients and is made completely in a casserole dish. A perfect weeknight dinner idea!

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You guys are going to love this southwestern chicken casserole recipe. It reminds me of a GIANT Chipotle burrito bowl. I am a huge Chipotle fan and order the same thing every time I go. Can you guess what it is? A chicken burrito bowl.

And when it comes to casseroles, we love making them a well-rounded meal. That usually means pairing a grain, with veggies, and a source of protein. Chicken is such a great protein to cook inside of a casserole because it’s juicy, lean and can be flavored so many ways.

why you’ll love it!

  • You only need to dirty one dish.
  • It’s a great weeknight meal that packs a ton of flavor.
  • This casserole leaves great leftovers, making it a great meal prep recipe for the week.

What You Need for this Southwestern Chicken Casserole

The base of this flavorful chicken casserole recipe is quick-cooking brown rice, black beans, and chicken breast. And when it comes to adding that flavor punch, we went big! Here’s what really gives this casserole its robust flavor:

  • 1 jar of salsa
  • paprika
  • chili powder
  • ground cumin
  • garlic powder
  • fresh cilantro
  • shredded cheese
ingredients for chicken casserole in casserole dish

Ingredient Substitutions

Beans: Black beans pair well with this dish, but feel free to substitute 1:1 for another canned bean like great northern beans or pinto beans.

Chicken: We’re using diced chicken breast, but boneless chicken thighs cut into 1 in. chunks will also work.

Rice: We’ve tested this recipe with minute brown rice and minute white rice. Either will work!

Top Tips

Don’t substitute the minute rice: Only use brown or white minute rice for this casserole! The rice won’t have enough time to completely cook if substituting for any other variety of rice.

Spice to your liking: This casserole calls for an entire jar of salsa, so feel free to use your favorite variety, whether that’s a mild or super hot salsa.

Get creative with the toppings: We love topping this casserole with green onions, tortilla chips, and a dollop of Greek yogurt and homemade guacamole.

White casserole dish.

Our Favorite

Casserole Dish

We love this le creuset casserole dish because it is oven safe AND has a cover. It is the perfect casserole dish for this baked one pot pasta dish!

chicken casserole with cheese

Storage

Store this casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezer Instructions: we recommend making your casserole in a disposable casserole tin. Once cooked, let the casserole cool completely and then cover with tin foil and remove as much air as possible. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months.

southwestern chicken casserole with Greek yogurt and salsa

Serving Suggestions

Serve this southwestern chicken casserole with our homemade guacamole, salsa and our ultimate margarita.

4.64 from 52 votes

Southwestern Chicken Casserole

This Southwestern Chicken Casserole calls for chicken breast, salsa, beans, and amazing southwestern spices. It's made 100% in a casserole dish in under an hour.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8
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Ingredients 

  • 1.5 cups minute brown rice, uncooked (white or brown minute rice will work)
  • 1.5 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
  • 10 oz. frozen corn, thawed
  • 15 oz. canned black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks (raw)
  • 16 oz. jar salsa, any spice level works!
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup Colby Jack cheese
  • optional toppings: shredded Colby Jack cheese, Greek yogurt, salsa, and green onions.

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375°F and spray a large casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Add all of the ingredients (minus the shredded cheese) into the casserole dish and mix together with a wooden spoon making sure that everything is well mixed and submerged in liquid.
    a chicken casserole with beans, corn and other ingredients in a red baking dish.
  • Then, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375ºF for about 50 minutes.
  • Uncover and top with shredded cheese. Bake, uncovered, for an additional 10 minutes.
    a chicken casserole topped with cheese and green onions.
  • Once fully cooked, let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Top with Greek yogurt, more shredded cheese, salsa, and green onions.
    chicken casserole

Tips & Notes

  • Nutrition information is for a serving of 8 people and includes the 1/2 cup of Colby Jack cheese
  • This recipe was updated slightly on 1/29/2024 to reduce the amount of chicken broth as some had reported issues with the casserole consistency being too soupy. The original recipe is HERE.

Watch It

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”xFSQudfR” upload-date=”2024-01-29T19:53:54.000Z” name=”Southwestern Chicken Casserole” description=”This Southwestern Chicken Casserole calls for simple, flavorful ingredients and is made completely in a casserole dish. A perfect weeknight dinner idea!” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]

Nutrition

Calories: 270 kcal, Carbohydrates: 36 g, Protein: 21 g, Fat: 5 g, Fiber: 6 g, Sugar: 3 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About Lee Funke

Lee is the founder of Fit Foodie Finds and based in Minneapolis, MN. She started this website in 2010 as a way to share her love for real food and wellness. The internet has changed so much since then and so has Fit Foodie Finds. Today we're a female-run recipe website publishing hundreds of tried and true recipes developed and tested by our team.

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Haylee
Haylee
October 3, 2019 1:26 pm
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
This was super yummy! Made for great lunch leftovers all week. I added some avocado and extra salsa on top and it was delicious!

Christina Emberley
Christina Emberley
April 11, 2019 1:45 pm

Can I use regular rice instead of minute?

Linley Hanson
April 11, 2019 4:20 pm

Hi Christina! This specific recipe calls for minute rice! Try our Healthy Enchilada Casserole- it uses normal rice and is also delicious!

Erin
Erin
March 13, 2019 7:40 pm

Is this a 9×13 baking dish recipe or an 8×8 baking dish?

Allison
Allison
March 5, 2019 6:24 am

Can I use pre-cooked chicken? Like shredded from a crock pot? Thanks!

Crista
Crista
February 4, 2019 5:49 pm

Can you make this up ahead? If so are there any adjustments?

Kimberly DeMarco
Kimberly DeMarco
January 20, 2019 2:05 pm

Hello there. I’m going to make your recipe for dinner tomorrow. I want to use regular brown rice instead of minute rice. What adjustment should I make for liquids and cooking time?

Julie
Julie
January 8, 2019 6:50 pm

Made this tonight, it turned out perfect. I’ll be making this again..com

Beth Lawton
Beth Lawton
December 2, 2018 6:12 pm

Hi there. Going to make this for my folks tomorrow. Question. The instructions say to place uncooked chicken on the bottom of the baking dish, but the video shows the chicken being placed on top of the rice and corn mixture.
Does it matter?

Nancy
Nancy
December 2, 2018 2:31 pm
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
Love making this. Thank you for all your recipes! Especially these one pot meals when life is so hectic!!

Mike
Mike
December 1, 2018 7:12 pm

Mine came out very liquidy. Not sure why. Even used less broth than called for.

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